An experienced skydiver fell to his death in a California vineyard this week while performing a 13,000-foot jump wearing a wingsuit.

Matthew Ciancio, 42, crashed Wednesday afternoon after undertaking the jump with the Lodi Parachute Center, about 30 miles south from Sacramento.

The Federal Aviation Administration says it's investigating and has not announced a cause of the crash.

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Tragic death: Matthew Ciancio, 42, an experienced skydiver from California, crashed and died while performing a 13,000-foot jump wearing a wingsuit

Ciancio was found in a vineyard after undertaking the il-fated the jump with the Lodi Parachute Center (pictured)

Ciancio, a adventurer and avid outdoorsman, had been skydiving for the past decade

Bill Dause, a spokesman for the Lodi Parachute Center, said witnesses told him that Ciancio released his parachute at about 4,000 feet, and that they saw the skydiver and his canopy spinning wildly.

At the time of the accident, Ciancio was accompanied by four or five other skydivers in wingsuits.

According to Dause, it appears that Ciancio failed to promptly deploy emergency procedures, which include releasing the bad parachute and pulling the cord of a backup chute.

Dause said Ciancio eventually ditched the main chute, 'but it was too late'.

Gwillyn Hewetson, the victim's friend and long-time skydiving partner, was on the same flight as Ciancio and witnessed the accident.

'I watched him dangle under his canopy, unresponsive not trying to fight it and he tumbled down and down,' Hewetson told CBS13.

Ciancio was found by emergency responders in a vineyard in San Joaquin County shortly after 4.15pm.

The victim's younger brother, Brian Ciancio, told Sacramento Bee Matthew grew up in Connecticut and moved out to June Lake, California, in 1995.

He worked as an X-ray technician at a hospital and spent his free time practicing extreme sports, including BASE jumping, rock climbing, snowboarding and skiing.

According to the brother, Matthew developed a passion for skydiving in the last decade.

Gwillyn Hewetson (left), the victim's friend and skydiving partner, said he watched Caincio (right) dangle unresponsive under his parachute after the crash

The siblings last saw each other two weeks before Matthew's death when he traveled to Connecticut to visit their aging father.

Wingsuit flying, which relies on the use of a specialized jumpsuit often referred to as a wingsuit, squirrel suit or birdman suit, is one of the most extreme forms of BASE jumping, an acronym for leaping from a building, antenna, span or Earth.

The United States Parachute Association does not track the number of people who skydive in wingsuits, but a representative said it's a growing number.

'It's definitely grown in popularity a lot over the last several years,' said Nancy Koreen, director of sport promotion with the association.

Wingsuit flying, which relies on the use of a specialized jumpsuit often referred to as a wingsuit, squirrel suit or birdman suit, is one of the most extreme forms of BASE jumping (stock image)

The wingsuit jumpsuit is made of two arm wings and a leg wing which are supported by the use of inflatable pressurized nylon cells. Wearing the suit increases lift and allows the skydiver to fly horizontal distances at a slower descent rate, increasing their time in freefall.

A wingsuit flyer uses his body as well as the suit to control his forward speed, direction and lift.

A beginner wingsuit has smaller wings, while more advanced ones have much bigger wings.

As a wingsuit flyer gains experience, he can increase his forward speed, reduce his downward speed and fly more advanced suits, Koreen said.

An experienced and efficient flyer in the most high-performance suit can achieve descent rates as low as 25mph - 80 percent lower than a regular skydiver's - and horizontal speeds of up to 220mph, Koreen confirmed.

Koreen said a skydiver who wants to jump wearing a wingsuit must first complete 200 regular skydives.

'You want to have that base of knowledge because it's a more advanced discipline,' she said.

FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said investigators plan to talk to first responders and any witnesses to the accident, review any video evidence, and examine the skydiver's parachute to determine whether it was properly packed.

Including the most recent fatality at Lodi, there have been 8 wingsuit skydiving deaths in the US since January 1, 2011.

There are an estimated 3.5million to 4million total skydives in the US each year, according to the United States Parachute Association.